Im Impacts of Karen Baptis ist Convention Centre-based Early Child - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Im Impacts of Karen Baptis ist Convention Centre-based Early Child ildhood Care and Development Programs on Child ildren in in Myanmar Exp xperiencin ing Traumatic Stress

Naw Htee Wah Paw, Program Manager Early Childhood Care and Development Program Karen Baptist Convention in Myanmar

Acknowledgement

• The Karen Baptist Convention in Myanmar expresses deep gratitude

to the Open Society Foundations for contributing support for the Early Childhood Care and Development program delivered by five of the 20 Associations of the Karen Baptist Convention.

• Open Society Foundations have also sponsored program staff to

participate in the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood.

In Introduction

Manager for early childhood care and development programs of the Karen Baptist Convention in Myanmar Serving in this capacity for four years. Goal today: To describe how a CARE oriented ECCD program can help children living in highly stressful conditions to recover from trauma and achieve a normative developmental trajectory while experiencing joy and love through caring relationships.

Outline

• Describe Karen Baptist Convention ECCD programs
• Show a Child Development Record for monitoring progress
• Describe three methods for assessing programs impacts
• Highlight key impacts on children, parents, and families
• Identify lessons learned

Context xt: Myanmar

Many hardships for children including:

• Armed conflict
• Death of family members
• Natural disasters
• Poverty
• Family stress
• Parents migrating for work/Raised by grandparents
• Children who are not in any ECCD program are often found wandering in the

streets or around paddy fields with little supervision, or staying at home with grandparents with no age-mates or stimulation.

• Children without ECCD participation often do not enrol on time, lack confidence,

and are not ready for school.

Karen Baptist Convention (K (KBC) ECCD programs in in Myanmar

• KBC: One of many faith-based organizations

in Myanmar

• 920 centre-based ECCD programs
• 125 in Kayin – a high conflict area
• Programs reach out to children exposed to acute and chronic trauma

with the understanding that Quality ECCD programs can help children recover from toxic stress

Community capacity building

• Caregiver training
• (28 days plus refresher & annual conference)
• ECCD Committee management training
• Parent education groups
• Parent involvement in making

teaching & learning materials

Programs

• Located in churches
• Offered to children 3-5 years old
• Run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Rely on multiple donors &

parent contributions

Every ry program has a daily routine

• Welcome and Gather
• Indoor play: Literacy, numeracy, problem solving, memory games, etc.
• Story telling
• Outdoor play: Gross & fine motor skills, socialization, team work
• Washing hands & feet
• Lunch
• Nap
• Snack
• Traditional game
• Gross motor skill building
• Science
• Gathering, Recall the day, Singing, Departing

Child-centred approach

• Programs are very much a CARE approach. In the field of ECCD we often

seem to hear more about development, learning, and school readiness and not much about CARE!

• Caregivers have a weekly lesson plan, based on children’s interests.
• Gentle nurturing and loving care are very important to our programs.
• An individualized, nurturing relationship with a caregiver is seen as key to

helping traumatized children.

• Caregivers use patience, attentiveness, affection, personal care, love, as

well as outreach to primary caregivers to understand the situation and promote a supportive home life.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Includes Child Development Record

• Completed by caregivers on quarterly basis
• It is a tool for:
• Monitoring indicators of child development on key milestones in 4 domains
• Communicating among caregivers and parents about each child’s needs and

achievements

• Identifying areas of delayed or enhanced development

Completing the tool is an intervention in itself for caregivers: It draws their attention to a range of aspects of a child’s development, and promotes an individualized approach.

Domain: Social Emotional Wellness Behaviour/Skill

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

1. Can interact with family members but not with strangers 1. Can interact with both family members and strangers 1. Able to separate from family, willing to go to ECCD centre 1. Shows interest in the centre 1. At the centre, dare to talk to only one teacher (or) caregiver 1. At the centre, dare to talk to every teacher (or) caregiver 1. At the centre, dares to initiate talk with every teacher or other adult easily 1. Shows extreme distress including sad or frightened facial expression and frequent crying 1. Shows extreme distress expressed through disruptive behaviours (e.g., fighting) 1. Outwardly expresses considerable emotional discomfort (shouting, blurting out) 1. Shows feelings by verbalizing, expressing reasons for feelings (e.g., daddy coming back home so I am happy) 1. Plays with toys, equipment, but only alone 1. Engages with others in play activities 1. While playing with others, shares own toys with others and asks for turn with toys (does not grab away toys) 1. Can play games with adults (or) other children, taking turns and passing things (e.g., ball) back and forth. 1. Can play around other children, imitate (or) watch their how they play 1. Can play very well in a team (group) game that has some structure or rules 1. Can settle arguing (or) fighting (e.g., If others fighting for the same toy, can advise how to do, to do this, to do that) Ratings 1 = Not Yet 2 = In Progress 3 = Achieved

Karen Baptist Convention: Early Childhood Care and Development Program Quarterly Child Development Record

Domain: Self-Care Skills Behaviour/Skill

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

1. Lets adults know when needs to urinate or pass stool so they can assist 1. When needs to urinate or pass stool, knows where to go and what to do 1. Can pick up and hold food items and eat by self (does not need someone to feed) using hand 1. Can eat some foods (e.g., rice) with a spoon 1. Can hold a cup and drink from it without help 1. Can fetch water from water pot 1. Can dress him/herself (e.g., T Shirt, pants, tunic) 1. Can do up buttons 1. Can wash own hands 1. Can take a bath on his/her own 1. After using (or) playing with things can put away in their places Ratings 1 = Not Yet 2 = In Progress 3 = Achieved Domain: Intellectual Development Behaviour/Skill

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

1. Explores the world around him/him: Observes, touches, smells, and tastes things, shows curiosity, plays with them 1. Is alert and curious: Notices events, eager to try skills and learn new things, asks questions (e.g., where do clouds come from?) 1. Finds ways to use things in alternative ways (e.g., sticking things (or) mixing water to get another colour) Ratings 1 = Not Yet 2 = In Progress 3 = Achieved

Domain: Physical Development, Large Motor Skills Behaviour/Skill

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

1. Can sit and stand, can walk slowly and steadily 1. Can walk steadily 1. Can walk on a straight line 1. Can balance and walk on a raised floor board (plank) 1. Can climb stairs, can climb up on a chair 1. Can run 1. Can run, stop and turn 1. Can run backward 1. Can hop on one foot 1. Can roll a ball 1. Can balance body while throwing or kicking a ball 1. Can throw or kick a ball to a goal, 1. Can catch a ball Domain: Fine Motor Skills Behaviour/Skill

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

1. Pick or hold things using thumb and fingers (pincer grasp) (instead of with whole hand or arm) 1. Can pour water into a cup without spilling 1. Can put blocks one top to one top 1. Can turn the bottle cap 1. Can make pattern with mud 1. Can thread things on a thick string 1. Can make large cuts on paper with scissors 1. Can hold a crayon with thumb and fingers (pincer grasp) Ratings 1 = Not Yet 2 = In Progress 3 = Achieved

3 methods used to qualitatively assess program im impacts

• Survey of Child Development Records
• Focus Group Discussions with Parents
• Caregiver Vignettes of children who entered the program with acute

stress: mute, isolating themselves, crying, developmentally delayed.

Child Development Record Review

• Showed that all children progressed and most had achieved

milestones by age 5

• Vast majority of children show a lively interest in the world around

them

• Eagerness to learn (ask questions, try new things)
• Playing cooperatively in a group, sharing, taking turns leading
• Being respectful and able to listen and pay attention

Traumatized children

Nearly all traumatized children recover over time Examples:

• An aggressive boy who could barely cope , whose alcoholic father had abandoned

the family and his mother had to spend all her time working. He was essentially

• neglected. One-to-one relationship with the Caregiver and outreach to his

mother turned things around for him.

• A very withdrawn boy whose family was killed in the civil war was being raised by

his grandparents. Again one-to-one relationship with an ECCD Caregiver, as well as the daily respite for his grandparents, met the child’s needs and turned things around for him.

• A third case was a bereft boy who lost his whole family in Cyclone Nargis and

spent his days waiting for his family to come to get him. A caregiver took over a year with him, gently explaining death and helping him understand what happened to his family, as well as providing care respite and support for his foster

• parent. This boy eventually recovered and stepped on to a more normative

developmental trajectory.

Parents: Tremendous change!

• Shift from relative neglect of children’s developmental needs to awareness
• f early learning and appreciation of ECCD and on-time school enrolment
• Shift from punitive to positive discipline (e.g., from beating to gently talking

& guiding)

• Shift from excluding to including children in church worship service and

interactions with Elders

• More respect for children overall
• More joy in children’s achievements
• Eager involvement in toy making for ECCD program
• Many parents reported increased income generation because their

children were in ECCD

• Many grandparents expressed relief because they cannot care for

grandchildren on their own all the time.

Children are more ready for school

Local schools report that children from KBC ECCD program are:

• more ready for school,
• braver to talk with teachers, and
• able to handle thinking and creative tasks more easily

…compared to children who did not go to KBC ECCD

Lessons Learned

• 1. A quality ECCD program, even though meagrely resourced, can

contribute significantly to a child’s experience of being safe, nurtured, and supported in their development.

• 2. The program can provide a real sense of the joy of childhood and

early learning for children and their parents and grandparents.

Love is a key determinant

3. Besides providing a stimulating program for early learning and social development, a key ingredient in these programs is love. 4. Love is hard to measure in program evaluation research or

• perationalize in Sustainable Development Goals, but love might

be a key to a sustainable world worth living in for children and generations to come.

Thank you for your kind attention!